The Copper Queen
by CeillieS
Summary: What happens after Dove is crowned? From Dove's perspective.
1. Prologue

Authors Note: I hope you guys enjoy this prologue. I think that most of my chapters will be at least this length, but probably longer. Please review if you have any particular feelings on the story!

* * *

_I hope I don't drop the crown, _Dove thought wryly as she stood, waiting for the gong hit that was her cue to enter the Throne Hall. _That would be ever so embarrassing, and what would Aunt Nuritin say?_

She took a deep breath of the bayberry-scented air and took her first steps becoming the gods-sanctioned Queen of the newly renamed Kyprish Isles. Winna and Aunt Nuritin had helped her to decide what type of incense to use, and they had elected on bayberry in hopes of bringing harmony, peace and prosperity for her time as queen. She managed to walk along with the music that her friend Baron Engan had recommended for the ceremony, and it truly felt right that her rule be begun with this peaceful percussive ensemble as opposed to the romping orchestral piece that Imajane and Rubinyan had been planning, and frankly, it was also much less expensive.

Queen-to-be Dovasary Haiming Temaida Balitang smoothed her silver satin sarong and took a deep breath as Captain Taybur Sibigat of the Queen's Guard knelt on the steps of the dais, holding the crown –her crown- above his head. The crown that had been crafted from ancient raka descriptions was the most beautiful thing that Dove had ever seen. It was a gold headdress with a spray of copper sprigs at the back, dangling gold drops, and copper drops hung from the forehead plate, complementing the copper tone of her skin and framing her observant dark eyes and catlike features.

Her hands trembled as she raised the crown for the audience that included commoners as well as nobles for the first time since the first Rittevon king had been crowned. Dove caught the eyes of her stepmother, half-sister, and her great aunt who both smiled at her, and she could see their faith and pride in her. Baron Engan, her old friend stood with Dove's old tutor, Duke Nomru, and both of them watched her with smiles on their faces. She could not see Aly, but she knew that the royal spymaster would be there somewhere. She locked eyes with Fesgao, her old servant and one of the leaders of the rebellion, and he gave her a nod of respect. _I can do this, _she thought, _I can do this for them. _Slowly, she raised this beautiful crown and rested it on her head, in the tradition of the old Kyprin queens from whom Dove was descended.

As soon as she lowered the crown onto her head, a thunder of applause and cheers rang out, and out of the corner of her eye, Dove saw the miniature kudarung flying down from the beams where they had settled for the ceremony. Dove let out a breath and thought a prayer to Kyprioth, the patron god of the Kyprish Isles. Two kudarung swooped around Dove in a circle, a show that made many of the nobles gasp – never had the kudarung fly freely for a crowned Rittevon, not as they did now for Queen Dovasary Balitang. Many of the people in the room had thoughts that were running along the same lines: This was the dawn of a new era for the Kyprish Isles.


	2. The First Day

The morning after the coronation, Dove woke with a start as she heard knocking on the door. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned, "Come in, Winna," No one but her stepmother would knock on the Queen's bedchamber door. The servants flitted in and out of their own volition, and Aunt Nuritin would most likely just come in and hit her with the cane that she had carried ever since her stroke, calling her the laziest queen she's ever seen.

"Dove, even if you are the queen, you _cannot_ stay abed any longer," Duchess Winnamine Balitang strode in, proceeding to open the curtains around the room. "You have several appointments today, and you know very well that you can't miss any of them."

"But Winna, the sun's barely even awake," Even as Dove spoke, she stretched and untangled herself from her blankets. "You could have had Boulaj wake me up, anyway. You didn't have to come yourself."

"Am I not allowed to wake my step-daughter up on her first full day as queen?" Winna had a mischievous glimmer in her friendly eyes. "Did you forget that your first appointment was a private breakfast with Aunt Nuritin, Petranne, and I?"

Dove slowly made her way to her dressing room. "No, I didn't. But that's hardly an _appointment_. You're my family, not simpering nobles who only want to be my friend because I'm the queen." She picked through the luarin-style gowns and raka sarongs, eventually deciding on a high-collared red gown with a gold stole similar to the raka wrapped jackets, deciding on both comfort and warmth. "Where _is_ Boulaj, anyway? I'd like some help with my hair. She's significantly better with pinning it than anyone I've ever met, especially since Aly originally picked her as a bodyguard, not as a maid."

"I believe Boulaj is getting some breakfast of her own, my dear. I can help you with your hair, if you'd like."

Dove agreed, and sat in the chair of her dressing table, allowing Winna to pin her hair. "I don't remember the last time you did my hair, Winna. Thank you, now I feel fit to be a queen."

Her stepmother kissed the top of Dove's head and smiled, "You are certainly fit to be queen, my daughter. Now, let's go before Aunt Nuritin sends Captain Sibigat to find us, shall we?"

* * *

"Queen Dovasary, I know that you must be _incredibly_ busy, but surely you can tell us what is to be done with our lands sooner rather than later? Not knowing is positive _agony!_" The pushy inquirer, Lady Uniunu, sniffed. Lady Uniunu had to have the snobbiest sniff Dove had ever heard. She was not the first to inquire after the rearranging of lands in the Kyprish Isles, but she was, so far, the most annoying. The crown had not yet seized any lands from the luarin landholders, but Dove had been honest with her nobles and told them that there would be some rearranging so that the raka nobles had the chance to be equal to their luarin counterparts, unlike the law under the Rittevon kings where the raka nobles could never be higher than a baron at court.

"Lady Uniunu, I have already explained to the court that we will convene with a council tomorrow to decide what will be done with the lands for all of the Isles. The council will include one representative member from each noble family, raka and luarin, and we will begin discussions on the changes that this nation will be making in order to survive and to grow alongside the other great nations of our world such as Tortall and Carthak. There will be changes to everyone's lives, my own included. But today is not the day to start those changes. Today is a day of rebirth. This is our renaissance, and I intend to enlist all of you to help make our new country a beautiful one that will rival those nations." Her speech had grown more and more passionate as she spoke, from irritated to glorious. Many of the nobles were gaping at her. They had never heard such a passionate speech from their girl queen, not even while she was a noble. Her older sister had been known to make speeches occasionally, but most of these nobles had never bothered to get to know the bookish younger sister. Well, now they were going to have to get to know their bookish young queen, Dove decided. She mustered a smile and spoke in a quieter voice than what her, "Is there anything else I can help you with, Lady Uniunu?"

"No, Your Majesty. None at all."

* * *

"Baron Engan, how wonderful to see you!" Dove smiled one of the first real smiles she'd given out all day. She knew she was needed to be monarch, being the twice royal of the prophecy, but very few of the men and women who clamored for her attention had been her friend before she had become queen, and she wasn't convinced they were actually her friends now that she was. "Have you been hiding in the observatory all day? I was going to come see if you would join me at my family's table for dinner, if I could ever find my way to the observatory with this crowd."

The elderly Baron looked slightly uneasy at her request, and Dove frowned slightly. "Unless of course, you have other dinner plans, in which case you are free to deny me the pleasure of your company, my lord."  
"You know, of course, that I do not have other dinner plans. However, I do have another dinner partner. He –" Baron Engan cleared his throat nervously, "He's in the observatory, as Your Majesty guessed I had been all day. He's just come in from Carthak today."

"Carthak? It can't be Zaimid?" Despite knowing the unlikeliness of her brother-in-law being Baron Engan's visitor, Dove's heart leapt at the thought of seeing her sister's husband, if not her sister, in person.

"I – I'm sorry, Majesty, I should have been more specific. My visitor is my godson, Gyasi Obeliten. I do not think he is acquainted with many of the people of your court. He has been in Carthak for many years now, studying to be a healer at the university there." Dove's old tutor bowed slightly to his queen, who looked at him with both disappointment and curiosity plainly written on her face.

"My lord, why in Mithros' name are you calling me 'Your Majesty'? We have been friends since before I can remember. Surely you don't feel the need to address me by my title when you taught me most of what I know? And your godson is welcome to join us as well. I daresay none of us will bite him. Petranne is well past that stage, I assure you."

Baron Engan's wrinkled cheeks flushed, and he smiled at his former pupil. "You are right, my dear. I will send one of my footmen to go fetch my young friend and introduce him to you. I do so hate these blasted gatherings, you know, but I think among all of us, we can manage to enjoy our dinner, don't you?"

"I'm sure we can, my lord," Dove agreed with a smile. He bowed to her and went to bring his friend down from the royal observatory. Dove realized that she should tell the dinner staff to add two seats to the high table, and went to go find Chenaol to figure out exactly whom she was supposed to tell. The queen could already hear the scolding that she was about to receive from her head cook and armorer for being in the kitchen when she could have simply rung for a servant, and she smiled at the thought of hearing one of Chenaol's lectures, just like old times.

"Your majesty, you are supposed to ring a servant forward when you want something from me. You are_ not _supposed to search me out." The head cook shook her head at her mistress's do-it-yourself attitude. "I've got dinner to make, and you should already be in the dining hall, Dove! You're supposed to be already seated in the hall before anyone else can come in! Didn't you pay attention from when Rubinyan and Imajane were in power? This is standard policy for kings and queens. Don't worry about the table settings," she barked an order to a serving girl to go add two places to the head table, who ran to follow her orders. "You need to go back to the dining hall, Your Majesty. You being down here will distract everyone, and distracted cooks burn food. We can't have a poor meal on your first evening as queen, now can we?"

Dove could see that she had a point, though it was a rather silly one. Why shouldn't a queen be able to enter the dining hall at the same time as her nobles and family? This custom was completely unnecessary, and Dove decided that it would be one she would change. However, as she had told the nobles earlier, today was not the day to start those changes, especially since dinner was to be served soon. Hungry nobles would probably be even worse than nobles in general, and they had certainly tested their queen's patience throughout her first day. Of course, she realized, a good meal and intelligent conversation would certainly help to rejuvenate her like nothing else could.

_I hope that this Gyasi is interesting. I don't know anything about him. He must be related to Lady Ankoret, but I don't recall him ever being around. I suppose that his being at the Carthaki university would explain that. _Dove smiled with a thought, _Perhaps he knew Zaimid during school, and can tell us stories about my brother-in-law. Or, if we're lucky, he'll have news of Sarai and Zaimid, if he just got in from Carthak today. Being a mage, he ought to be intelligent, at the very least. _As Dove had been musing about her old tutor's godson, she had found her way back to the dining hall, where she found Aunt Nuritin waiting for her in a chair by the 'royal entrance'. "Aunt, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Winna?"

"No, your Majesty, I should not. Surely I am old enough to ask my great-niece to walk into dinner with me, am I not?

Smiling, Dove offered her arm to her dragon-like aunt. "Of course you are, Aunt Nuritin. I would be honored if you would accompany me into dinner."

* * *

When everyone was finally settled and had been served their second course, Dove decided to take a break from eating and really look at her newly-met dinner partner, Gyasi Obeliten. She decided that although he was not what Sarai would have considered handsome, he had a very striking face. He had bright green eyes that shone with intelligence and short-cropped raven hair. He had smiled very little during the meal, but when he had, he had teeth that reminded Dove of the drawings of wolves that she had seen in books, except much friendlier. He seemed to think over every answer as thoroughly as possible before he spoke, but his answers still felt honest. _He's half-raka, _Dove realized as she looked at him.

"Tell me, Gyasi, what did you study at the University in Carthak? My son-in-law Zaimid studied there before he became the Imperial Healer there. Perhaps you knew him?" Gyasi's face lit up when Winna asked about Zaimid.

"My lady, Zaimid and I were the closest of friends at the university. We were both healer students and we share a passion for life that I had not expected of any of the Carthaki students due to the reputation that Emperor Ozorne had given them. You say that he is your son-in-law?" Winna nodded, a little surprised. "Your daughter is one of the loveliest women I have ever met. She already has a reputation in the palace as being as passionate about all life as her husband is. You raised a good woman, my lady."

Winna's eyes began to tear. "Oh, it is so good to hear that she is doing well there. She may not be my own blood, but she is as dear to me as if she were. It has been hard for us here recently, but I hope that eventually she and her husband will be able to visit. And the baby, of course."

"I think that all of us would like that very much, my lady," Gyasi gifted us all with a small smile. "Now, Queen Dovasary, I am told by my godfather and friend that you enjoy maps and astrology. Is that correct?"

Dove sat up straighter in her royal throne and did her best to hide the grimace that was her natural reaction to hearing her full first name. "Gyasi, please call me Dove. I suppose the title is necessary, given my position, but I severely dislike being called Dovasary." She realized that she had gotten somewhat snippy, and took a deep breath to calm herself. "But yes, I quite enjoy maps and astrology. I suppose I learned some of my love for both from Baron Engan. I actually have a beautiful collection of maps that Papa gave to me last year for my birthday. I also very much enjoy reading the histories of all of the great countries." She noticed that the servers were coming out with the third course, a spicy glazed pork loin that looked delicious, and began clearing her silverware off of her plate out of habit. When she looked up, Gyasi was staring at her. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked him frankly.

"No, no, of course not, Your Majesty! I was just… surprised, that's all. I just never expected royalty to clear their own silverware for the servants. It is unusual, to say the least."

"Well, I've only been royal for a day. I'm bound to do something unusual every once in a while, aren't I? Besides, I don't intend to be a useless sort of queen." Dove took a bite of her meal.

"Dove has always done her best to be self-sufficient. Sarugani, her mother, was the same way." Winna smiled at her stepdaughter. "Isn't that right, Qovold?"

"Certainly I remember it from my days as Sarugani's friend, as well as your tutor, Dove. You have always preferred to do things for yourself as long as it wouldn't get anyone else in trouble." Baron Engan looked a little surprised at being included in the conversation. "But, Dove, what history are you currently reading? I know you told me that you recently finished the History of Maren that Nomru gave you for your birthday. What did you think of it?"

"It was well-written, certainly, but I believe that it was too complimentary of their current Doge and his family. It felt a little too contrived to be realistic, especially with what we found out about his character when he visited King Oron a few years ago. I imagine that I shall get to visit Maren soon. I certainly hope so. I've always wanted to travel the world. The book I started last night was a history of slavery in Tortall. It was written by the prince who was the reason that the Tortallans ended slavery, actually. It's quite interesting so far, but I've only gotten through the first chapter." She took a bite of her food, and thought as she chewed. "In fact, after dinner, I intend to continue reading it. I don't want to forget my education now that I'm queen."

"That is certainly commendable by the academics among us, Your Majesty." Gyasi gifted her with a rare smile and a slight bowing of the head. "I would enjoy reading the Tortallan history once you are done, if you don't mind lending books out. If you dislike lending books, I will certainly go and find it from one of the merchants in Rajmuat. I very much intend to continue my own education now that I've graduated, as well as hopefully set up my own practice in the city. Zaimid told me that there is a need for good healers particularly in the Downwind and Honeypot districts."

"Surely your family will object to you working in such a place, Gyasi. Have you talked to them about your plans?" Winna wanted to know, since most nobles wouldn't allow their children to set foot in the districts that Gyasi had named, healers or not.

"Duchess, with all due respect, the only family that is of any import to me is my godfather, and he already knows of my plans. If you will please excuse me, I find myself to be quite tired from my journey, and I believe I will retire for the evening. Qovold, I will meet you back at the house in town." He stood quickly, bowed deeply to the women, all still seated and nodded to Baron Engan before taking his leave of the dining hall.

"Oh, dear," Winna covered her mouth with her hand. "I hope I didn't upset him too terribly. I did not mean to touch on a hard subject. I just wondered what the rest of his family thought of his plans to help the needy. Will you apologize to him for me, Qovold?"

"Of course, Winna. I'm sure he isn't terribly upset. He simply doesn't enjoy talking about his parents, as I'm sure you would understand. His noble family is… unfriendly toward him at the best of times, being Khaldan's son. Given that, he is generally mistrustful of those at court, despite the proof that there are plenty of good people such as yourselves at court now." Understanding and compassion filled Winna's eyes at learning who his father was. Dove had no clue who Baron Engan was talking about, but chances are either he or Winna would explain later, if she asked. For now, Dove would keep silent.

The rest of the meal passed in amicable conversation, and Winna asked Baron Engan to take up tutoring again for Petranne, and for Dove if she wanted it. The Baron reminded Winna that he had always enjoyed teaching, though so few were interested in his favorite subjects, and he would gladly tutor both Petranne and the teenage queen.

* * *

As Dove read her history of Tortallan slavery, she thought over her first full day as the crowned queen of the Kyprish Isles. _I may have not addressed anything particularly important, but I think showed all of the nobles that I won't be pressed into an untimely decision. And Gyasi is… intriguing. I think I can imagine why his family is unfriendly at best, if I have judged his heritage correctly. I think he could become a good friend both for me and for Winna, if he can learn to trust those of us who are worth trusting here. _Content with the majority of her day, Dove let herself sink into her book, and later to sleep.


	3. The Idea

After sitting through a morning of meetings with unhappy nobles about their lands and slaves, Dove wondered if perhaps the Rittevon kings were not mad to begin with, but that the meetings had driven them crazy. She certainly could feel the beginnings of a headache, and it was barely noon. At least she was having lunch with Aly, so it would at least be an entertaining lunch. Motioning to one of the female servants who followed her almost everywhere, she asked her to let Aly know that she was going to change, and then would meet her for lunch in the map room. Aly would never natter at her about how slavery was _necessary_ for the economy of the Isles, or how the raka hadn't _earned_ the land the way the luarin had. Their chatter was enough to make anyone go mad.

"Boulaj, would you go to the healers and ask for a headache tea to go along with my lunch? Discreetly, of course?" Her maid and bodyguard nodded and waved one of the other maids forward to take her place at Dove's side while she went to the Imperial healer's quarters. Dove realized that she did not actually know the name of the official Imperial healer. _I imagine that I will have to meet whoever it is eventually. Hopefully he or she won't be terribly conceited like Dunevon's was. The stories Taybur told us about that man… I shudder to think of having to deal with him, although I doubt he deserved the death that he and all of the other mages received on royal order._

Dove quit musing as she picked through the dresses that were 'appropriate' for lunch attire. There were three luarin-style gowns, one that was copper, one that was bright yellow, and one that was midnight blue, as well as two raka sarongs similar to the one she had worn yesterday, as well as a Tortallan-style gown that King Jonathan of Conte had given her at her Coronation. She decided to wear the Tortallan blue and silver gown since she was eating with Aly and Nawat, and it would also show the confidence of the Tortallan throne in some of her decisions as ruler of the Kyprish Isles. Besides, Dove loved the feel of the embroideries on the bell sleeves, and the way it made her feel pretty. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, or that anyone would ever comment on it.

Petranne had told one of their father's friends once that Dove was her 'common-sensical' sister, and Sarai was the pretty one. In a way, it was true. Sarai had put a lot more effort into being pretty than Dove had ever cared to, and Dove had always prided herself on being sensible and intelligent. It also put a slight twinge in Dove's pride whenever she thought about her looks, even knowing that almost no one was as beautiful as Sarai. _Maybe as I get older I'll grow prettier like Sarai…_ Dove shook her head to get rid of her silly thoughts. It didn't matter if she was pretty, not really. She was the queen, and queens had more important things to worry about than her looks. Dove finished refreshing her hairdo and face paint, and walked to the map room.

The map room was Dove's favorite room in the whole palace. It had been Rubinyan's personal spymaster's office, but Dove had turned it into a multi-purpose room. Most of the time, she sat in here to read, but it was also nice for a small lunch or a private meeting. Ysul had gone over all of the spells so that other people couldn't listen in on anything said in the room, so Dove and Aly met there fairly often. It would also be safe for Aly and Nawat's son, whom they had decided to name Ulasim after The Strong One of the prophecy that had brought Dove to the throne, to play when he was born in the spring. Ulasim had been one of both Aly's and Nawat's first friends when they had joined the Balitang rebellion in different ways. He had been around for the majority of Dove's childhood, and she had loved and respected him. Needless to say, it was very hard for her to keep herself pulled together when she went to her weekly vigil at the graves of the two people from the prophecy that had died during her ascent to the throne. Ochobu and Ulasim had been buried next to the Throne Hall staircase.

Dove closed her eyes and breathed a deep breath of fresh air when she entered the map room: it was one of the only rooms in the palace that never had incense burning in it. It was damaging to the costly scrolls that covered the walls, and Aly didn't particularly like many of the Kyprish scents. She preferred the crisp, clean scents that she had grown up with in Tortall, if there had to be any scent in the air at all. It was one of the small things that reminded those who knew Aly of her origins. She had found that she fit into Kyprin society quite well, almost better than did the queen, Dove had noticed. Even if she was getting used to the differences in lifestyle that were required of married noblewomen in the Kyprin Isles as opposed to a teenaged noble daughter of Tortall's Champion.

"Aly, are you in here?" She did not see her spymaster anywhere in the room until the curtains to the balcony separated to reveal Aly and Nawat.

"Sorry, Dove. We were listening to the birdsongs." There was a mischievous gleam in her eye, as usual. 'Listening to birds ' and variations thereof were Aly's codephrase for her spying. Ysul's spells were good, but the room wasn't entirely soundproofed. You never knew what a passerby might hear, and it wasn't a good idea for you to announce that you were spying on people in the garden below the balcony, even when it was obvious to anyone who used their brains that that is what a spymaster does. Of course, it was also possible that they _were_ listening to the birds. Nawat's former –and occasionally current- life as a crow came in incredibly handy. He could talk to all animals, and had an affinity with other winged creatures. He was quite fond of the miniature kudarung and could often be found helping in the palace menagerie when he was not working or helping Aly get around. It was sweet, really, the way Nawat hovered around his pregnant wife. It was what Sarai would have called a pure, true love, the kind that she had with Zaimid. Frankly, Dove wondered if she would ever have that kind of love. She was a very different type of person than Sarai or even Aly, often seen as cold or emotionless by those who didn't really know her. It didn't usually bother her, but it occasionally caught up with her when she was caught by surprise by couples that were very much in love.

"Not a problem, Aly. Learn any new songs?" Aly winked at her as Nawat helped her maneuver her pregnant body into one of the plush chairs that surrounded a medium height table.

"I always do, Your Majesty. Especially with Nawat around," she replied, smiling at her husband, who had taken the seat across from her at the table, leaving the chair at the head of the table for their young queen to sit in, which she did. "How were the meetings?"

"Ugh. You don't even want to know how miserable they were, Aly. I wished some disaster would happen to save me from the meetings," she grimaced, "but then I realized that these meetings _were_ the disaster. No one of the luarin nobles wants to give up their lands, which I understand, but then none of the raka nobles wants to _take back_ their lands, saying that they don't want to take them from them." She heard the door open, but ignored it, wanting to finish her rant. "At the same time, neither group wants things to stay as they are with the luarin holding 90% of land that originally belonged to the raka nobles. I haven't come up with a solution that anybody likes yet." Finishing her rant, she laid her aching head on the table and rubbed her temples with her thumbs.

"I'm told you aren't feeling well, Your Majesty. May I help?" An unexpected male voice came from the doorway. Turning, Dove saw that Gyasi stood with Boulaj in the doorway with a cup of Dove guessed was tea in his hands. She motioned for both of them to come in. "I apologize for bursting in like this unannounced, Your Majesty. I was down in the healers quarters when your maid came in, and it would hardly be appropriate for your headache tea to be cold when it got here, so I offered to help carry it. Would you like it now? We passed the servants with the lunch trays only a moment ago. "

Dove glanced at Aly, who she knew would be using her Sight to check the tea for poisons. Aly nodded at her, and Dove replied, "Thank you, Gyasi. I would love to have the tea before lunch. However, I believe I asked you to use my name, not Your Majesty."

"You did, indeed, Queen Dove. It would be inappropriate for me to not give you all due respect, though, madam. I also have a letter for you from a rather good friend of mine, if you have the time to receive it now, or you can send for me at a later time that is more convenient for you," He gave her a significant glance when he mentioned his friend. She had just received a letter from Sarai and Zaimid, so it must be… _The Emperor? Why on earth would the emperor be sending me mail through an unofficial source? I can't imagine what would be that important…_

Realizing that Gyasi was still waiting on a response, she broke herself out of her thoughts. "I will gladly take the letter off of your hands now, although I would like to have a few days before you expect a response. These meetings…" She let the sentence end there and grimaced. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Gyasi? We would all enjoy your company."

"I would not think to impose myself upon your lunch with your friends, my queen. Perhaps another time I may allow myself to be blessed with your company, but I cannot today. I just came to bring the tea, and of course the letter." He pulled the letter out of a jacket pocket and laid it on the table next to the tea. Dove noted that the seal on the letter was still intact, and didn't appear to have been steamed. He hadn't read the letter, which was strange, considering it was probably important. Most people would have read it.

"Are you sure you can't join us? It wouldn't be any trouble." Aly asked this time, with a smile for the serious sixteen-year-old boy standing next to the queen.

"My apologies, ladies and sir, but I must be going. I intend to set up my practice in the Honeypot within the next two weeks, and there is much work to be done. Perhaps another time," He bowed to his queen, slightly to Aly and Nawat, and left the room quietly.

"He seems to be one of those who is always making an exit, my lady." Boulaj stated quietly, allowing the other servants to enter with the chicken sambal for Dove and Nawat. "This isn't Chenaol's recipe, is it?" she asked the servant, who flashed Boulaj a grin and shook her head. The third platter's lid was removed to show a chicken stew for Aly, who had never liked the large amount of spice and chili pepper in sambal.

"Thank you for the food," Dove inclined her head to the servants. "You may go now." Recognizing her thanks and her dismissal of them, the three servants who had come in with the food bowed or curtsied and then left.

"Now, Dove, _who_ was that handsome boy?" Aly leaned on an arm on the table, looking into Dove's eyes with her own twinkling hazel ones.

"As if you don't know more about him than I do already, Aly!" Dove swatted the arm that her friend leaned on. "But, his name is Gyasi Obeliten. I'd love to know what _you _know about him, if you're willing to share with your humble queen."

"I don't think you need to know everything about him, but I'll tell you what, he's determined to get his practice set up in the least prosperous of the districts of Rajmuat. I think he'd go elsewhere if Baron Engan were not residing in the city. He doesn't seem to care for his family – and honestly, can you blame him? – because of how they treated his parents while they were alive."

"His parents are gone? I know his father was Khaldan Obeliten, but he's a pure luarin. Who… who was his mother?"

"His mother was a raka commoner who worked for Lady Ankoret as a handmaid. Her name was Akila, and Lady Ankoret was actually quite fond of Akila before she and Khaldan married, after which she disowned them and sent them to the forests on Gampeng."

"I knew his mother must have been raka. Ankoret's fondness for the girl, and her son, must have kept her from being executed… I don't want to know any more, Aly. I just wanted to know who his parents were," Dove realized something and looked at Aly in wonder. "You learned all of this in two days?"

"Birdsongs, darling. Birdsongs," She answered with a wink, and finally dug into her stew. Nawat noticed that she still picked the visible peppers out of her stew, and commented on it.

"Aly, dear one, you haven't changed at all since you got here." Aly just wrinkled her nose at him and continued fixing her stew to her Tortallan tastes. Nawat made sure that one of the loaves of bread that had been put on the table was next to Aly, knowing that she didn't handle the spices in Kyprin food very well, even after living in the Isles for more than a year.

"Dove, how did broaching the end of slavery go?" Nawat asked between bites of his sambal. That had been the topic of the second meeting Dove had headed today, and it had gone almost worse than the first meeting.

"Miserably, Nawat. The only people that want to get rid of slavery are the representatives from Winna's family and from Papa's. I don't know how to tell them that I **will** be getting rid of slavery, whether they like it or not. It'll be so much better for this country, and it'll make us significantly better allies with countries like Tortall, Tusaine, and Galla. Aly, didn't you tell me that Carthak was on their way to getting rid of slavery there, as well?" Aly simply nodded, her mouth too full to answer politely. "So, really, there will be nowhere to trade slaves except in Maren. It won't be a lucrative trade anymore."

"I think that is the most logical and reasoned explanation of why a nation should get rid of slavery I have ever heard. And reading reports that are sent to my Da, I've heard a lot of them in recent years. Never mind that it's wrong, and it hurts people and the economy in the long run. You know Tortall hasn't had slavery in a very long time, nor has Tusaine. The Marenites still have slavery of a sort for their grain farms, but they call it "indentured servitude". Maybe you could look into how those countries translated slavery into freedom, or something similar?"

"I've been reading about how Tortall got rid of their slavery, but that was because of the Prince being kidnapped and enslaved, mostly. It's actually a very compelling tale, written in a journal by one of your "Dog's". It paints a very interesting picture of early Tortall."

"I've read it, actually. The Dog who wrote the journal was actually one of my Da's ancestors, all that time ago. I've always thought that the journal portrayed a more lawless version of the Kyprish Isles right now – the nobles at war, the slavery, and the general unrest. Although it's true that the unrest has quieted significantly since you were crowned. The only people that are really unhappy now are what's left of the Jimajen family."

"I have to disagree. The only real similarity is that the nation is turning against slavery, as well it should. However, I don't think the answer to our issue is to just issue a "no more slavery" edict like the Tortallan king did so long ago. I just don't know that it would work here. I wish I could get more information about how Emperor Kaddar got it to work in Carthak, even knowing that it's still a work in progress to get rid of their slave trade…" Boulaj tapped Dove on the shoulder. "Yes, Boulaj?"

"As soon as you are finished eating, you are due back in the conference chambers, Your Majesty."

"Ah, thank you for the reminder, Boulaj." Boulaj smiled and returned to her seat by the doorway. Dove, Aly, and Nawat ate the rest of their meal chatting about Aly's pregnancy and Nawat's work as a fletcher. The crow-man had been offered a job training new recruits, but he had declined, wanting to be with Aly more often, especially after she got pregnant.

As Dove stood up to leave, Nawat handed her the letter, which she had left on the table. "Gyasi took the time to bring this to you personally – You should read it, Dove."

"Thank you, Nawat. I had almost forgotten about it. I'll be sure to read it as soon as I get a chance." She smiled at her friend. "Will I see the both of you at our small dinner tonight? I know Winna and Petranne would enjoy seeing you, and I think Aunt Nuritin might even pretend to enjoy your company."

"We will do our best to be there, Your Majesty." Nawat smiled and guided his pregnant wife out the door to the rest of the palace.

After a long afternoon in meetings, Dove finally found herself with about an hour on her own before dinner, something that she had discovered was rare for a person who was royalty. It was exhausting.

_There was something that I needed to do… I promised someone I would read something. What was it? _Dove thought to herself, mentally going through the few promises that she had made that day. _Oh, right! Gyasi gave me that letter that I needed to read. I wonder who it's from…_

Pulling the letter out of the satchel that she had carried around all day, she sat down at her writing desk and began to read the relatively long letter.

_My fellow ruler and –hopefully- friend, _

_I am writing to you in hopes that you will take some advice from someone who is in the process of freeing the slaves in their own country. My spies have told me that you are also attempting to rearrange the land ownership within your own nobles, and I had an idea that might work for both of our lands._

_When I came to power before the Immortal War, begun by my uncle and his mages, I promise the Tortallan Wildmage that I would free the Banjiku and the mutes that served my uncle in exchange for her saving my life by forcing my uncle's hand as well as for getting a terrible ruler out of power in our Empire. When I freed the Banjiku and the mutes, some of the mutes came back to work for me within a year, telling me through their hand signals that they had found it very hard to find work. _

_I don't know if you know the Banjiku people, but they all have a type of wild magic, each with certain types of animals. They can talk to the animals, and get them to do almost whatever they want. The Banjiku began a humane animal circus that travels the world, using their skills to entertain people. They then use their money to buy animals from rich owners who do not treat them well. I believe that they are currently traveling through parts of Tortall, according to letters from my wife's family. My dear wife Kalasin, formerly of Tortall, is very against slavery like most Tortallans, and has been influencing the rest of our Carthaki nobles with her speeches against slavery. It's been quite inspiring for all of us who have been here to hear them. _

_Some of our richer families have begun to free large numbers of their own slaves, and employing them again as servants, including their room and board as part of their wages until they have earned enough to get a job or apprenticeship elsewhere in Carthak or overseas. Some of these families were forced to sell some of their acreage in order to pay the wages of those that they had freed and hired, which allowed other nobles to buy the lands. _

_This may not be the best solution for your problems, as many of your noble families probably will not want to free and pay their former slaves, but perhaps a mandate requiring them to free a percentage of their slaves, and a Crown-sponsored school training the former slaves into a profession of their choice, based on their skills would be a good idea._

_I think you understand why I could not send this as an official letter. Sending it through Gyasi, it turns into a letter between two people with a mutual acquaintance, as opposed to an official letter between rulers._

_I hope that you will take my thoughts into account as you decide what to do about your slavery._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Kaddar_

Dove read and re-read the letter several times, making sure that she understood everything that Kaddar was telling her in this letter. She needed to share this with Winna and Aly, especially. While Dove knew that there were spies in her country from all over the world, it was disconcerting to hear another ruler so blatantly reference his placed spies. She found herself falling into thought about everything in the letter.

_I don't think that any of the information he referenced was anything that could point out where the spies are, but then again, I'm not Aly. Maybe she'll be able to find this spy. I know they're necessary, but I don't particularly like the idea of the Carthaki royalty knowing what's going on here._

_ However… the school idea that Emperor Kaddar had proposed seems like a very sound plan. It's similar to the school that we sent the slaves that we had to sell when we went to Lombyn last spring. I'll just have to talk to Winna about it. She and Aunt Nuritin will have some insights about it, and perhaps some suggestions. I'm not sure that we currently have the resources to sponsor it, but perhaps Aunt Nuritin will know. She knows the state of the treasury better than just about anyone other than the treasury clerks. _

Before she knew it, the hour that she'd had to herself was almost gone, and it was time to dress for supper. The constant dress changing was entirely unnecessary in Dove's opinion, but it was one of those issues that she figured she should tackle the larger stuff like slavery before she bothered with the little things like changing your dress before every meal. It just wasn't worth the fight that removing slavery from their nation was.

"Dove!" Petranne ran straight to her and hugged her. The two half-sisters had barely seen one another except in public, and both had been looking forward to the private dinner to catch up with one another.

"Hello, Petranne! It's so nice to see you!" Dove kissed the top of Petranne's head and held the little girl close. Petranne was about to turn six, and was levelheaded and honest, like her mother. "How were your lessons today? Were you a good girl for Baron Engan?"

"Lessons were interesting. Baron Engan let me use his telescope!" Petranne's face was lit up like Dove knew hers was the first time that she had been allowed to use the telescope. "He had to lift me up to see through the hole, though." Her bottom lip slipped out to pout a little bit, and Dove laughed.

"Wanna know a secret?" The little girl nodded vigorously, so Dove squatted down to whisper in her ear, "I had to sit on his shoulders the first time I got to look through the telescope."

At hearing this tidbit about her older sister, Petranne burst into giggles, and walked back to her seat, where Winna and Aunt Nuritin already sat with smiles on their face at the joy on the two youngest members of their family. Dove walked gracefully over to the table and kissed both her stepmother and great-aunt on the cheeks.

"It's so nice to see all three of you. Aly and Nawat said that they would be joining us tonight as well." Nuritin's lips tightened almost invisibly. "Now, Aunt, we would have been dead several times over if it weren't for Aly and Nawat. Be nice."

"Dovasary, I am _always_ nice." _If Aunt Nuritin had any less dignity, I do believe she would have just stuck her tongue out at me, _Dove thought with a smile for her aunt.

"Of course you are, Aunt." Dove sat down at the table just in time for the door to open, letting Aly and Nawat into the private dining room.

"Oh, Aly, you look exhausted!" Winna exclaimed and rose to help Aly into her seat, but was waved away. "Have you been eating and sleeping properly? You can't skimp on either, not with a baby on the way. You ought to know that, Aly."

"It's nice to see you, too, Winna. I have been eating and sleeping whenever I feel the need."

"I have been watching over her as well, Winna. I even offered to feed her bugs if she was too tired to eat proper food," Nawat's eyes sparkled as he spoke to Winna, who now knew about his origins as a crow. It still obviously shocked Aunt Nuritin that it was so openly spoken of, because her eyes bulged at his statement.

"Aly, is the room secure?" Dove fixed her eyes on the pregnant woman who was trying not to laugh at Nuritin's reaction to her husband's entirely honest offer to her a few days ago. It had made Aly laugh until she had to pee.

"Of course the room is secure, Dove! I wouldn't let you eat a private dinner in someplace that wasn't secure." Aly wrinkled her nose at her queen, and sat at the table. "Is there anything particularly urgent that we talk about that the room _needs _to be secure?"

"There is, actually. But it can wait until after we eat. I want to hear about your days first, Aunt Nuritin, Winna. How did you two spend your day?"

Nuritin was the first to answer, with a thin smile. "I finally got to see the entirety of the beautiful gardens of the old raka palace. The gardens themselves were lovely, as were some of the animals. The monkeys, however, I did not like. They have no sense of propriety. They just crawl on everything that they think is interesting, poking their fingers in your hair, and then eating bugs in front of you!" Nuritin had worked herself up, almost getting angry at the monkeys. "And their fur! It gets everywhere, sticks to all of your clothing, even in places you _know_ they didn't touch you!"

The entire room was laughing by the time Nuritin finished, and after a shocked look at her family, she began to laugh as well. "Well, I'm glad you have all gotten some merriment from my afternoon's torment," She tried and failed to glare at Dove and Petranne, who just giggled all the more.

When Winna managed to stifle her laughter, she decided to tell the group about her afternoon, which, while not as funny as Nuritin's, was almost as surprising for the rest of the table. "I spent the afternoon with Captain Sibigat. He was showing me around his favorite parts of the city. It was quite a lovely afternoon."

"You spent the afternoon riding around the city…with Taybur?" Aly asked, almost incredulously. She had liked Taybur, but Taybur and Winna together was… intriguing, at least.

"Yes, I did. And we had a great time together."

"Huh." Aly seemed to be thinking everything over in her head, like she always did, eating while she thought.

"I hope you used some sense, Winnamina, and didn't do anything that might disgrace our queen!" Nuritin sniffed.

"Aunt Nuritin, _really_!" Dove cried, knowing that her stepmother was always concerned with propriety and what was appropriate.

Winna spoke as soon as Dove finished reprimanding her great-aunt, very quietly. "I have never done anything that might disgrace Dove, particularly not in public. I will not start now."

"Just remember that the stakes are higher now, dear girl. You can't afford to be indiscreet at all, or the court harpies will ruin you."

In an aside to Dove, Aly asked, "Was that the reason you wanted to make sure that the room was secured?" Dove shook her head. "Another big announcement? Can this dinner handle all this excitement?"

"Patience, Alianne." Nawat had leaned over and began rubbing Aly's back, reminding her that she needed to wait for Dove to tell everyone what she had to say. "Remember what happened to the cat who was too curious?"

"Nawat, I am _not_ a cat, and that phrase is simply a caution," Aly whispered back fiercely. By this point, the rest of the table was listening to them.

They all knew that since Nawat had heard the phrase "Curiosity killed the cat", he had been admonishing Aly for her curiosity, being honestly worried about her safety. It was something that never failed to amuse any of the others who heard him scolding, even now, in the midst of an argument.

"I did actually have something to discuss with all of you." Dove took a deep breath, readying herself to tell them the news. She wasn't entirely sure what their reactions were going to be. "I've received a letter from Emperor Kaddar of Carthak. He had a few ideas for our… situation."

Winna pressed a hand to her collarbone, shocked. "You got a letter from the Emperor of Carthak… and he was offering to help you?"

"Yes, he was offering to help. From what Aly's adopted aunt told me, Emperor Kaddar is an actually decent person, despite being the ruler of an empire like Carthak. Apparently he's very into scholarship and enjoys peaceful relations from what we've seen of his reign so far, so I'm inclined to think that he means well."

Aly leaned on a hand thoughtfully, "That's true. Aunt Daine said Kaddar's a good sort. What was he offering advice about?"

"The slavery issue, of course. He had gleaned some information about our situation, and some advice. The thing is, he didn't send it officially. He sent it through Gyasi, who said it was from a good friend of his. Aly was there when he gave me the letter at lunch, remember?" Aly nodded once. "He told me I should read it and send a response, if I wanted to send one, to him as soon as possible. And the seal hadn't been broken at all."

"He was telling the truth while he was talking, too," Aly tapped her temple next to her eye, reminding us all that she had the Sight. As if we had forgotten.

"Aly, what do you know of the state of the treasury in Carthak? We had heard that a lot of the treasury was destroyed when your _aunt_ went crazy there about ten years ago," Nuritin had decided to ask a question of Aly. "But there have also been some riots that almost verge on civil war, especially before he married your Princess Kalasin."

"Well, you're right about verging on civil war, though that has mostly calmed down since he's begun freeing slaves. I'll say Kalasin has had a really good effect on him. From what I know, the treasury is doing pretty well, surprisingly, though it has taken a hit since he's been freeing some of the Empire's slaves. He's been giving the newly-freed slaves enough to allow them to buy an apprenticeship somewhere, or to move to another country, if they like. I think it's a fantastic idea, actually."

"Well, then Kaddar was entirely truthful in his letter. He had a thought that a similar strategy might work here as well as in the Empire," Dove was surprised that he had been entirely truthful. Most countries want their allies and enemies both to be weaker than they are, according to her history tutor and her general experience of rulers, but apparently that was not the truth in Kaddar's case.

"May I read the letter, Dove?" Aly inquired quietly, "I'd like to see how he worded things, especially that bit about the spy."

"Yes, I'd like to know more about this spy that he mentions as well. We cannot have people in our service blabbing about palace doings to other nations! Especially those countries that are generally unfriendly towards our island nation. " Winna commented, as Aunt Nuritin nodded, her concern over Winna's behavior that afternoon had apparently been forgotten.

Dove handed the letter to her stepmother first, knowing that Winna would only skim it, whereas Aly would want to take a very close look at it. "Most of the stuff he mentioned from his spy is just common knowledge. Everybody knows we're talking about re-arranging land and freeing the slaves. It's just a matter of time before we get it done. I don't think any of it was secret, so it honestly might have come through Gyasi." Winna pondered as she was reading. "But is it possible for a message to travel that quickly…"

"It is, since both the Emperor and Gyasi are Gifted. Thanks." Winna handed Aly the letter. "You're right, this is all fairly common knowledge. It could come from anywhere, so I don't think it's worth pushing. I'll ask around, but until they give us a little more information, I don't have enough information to figure out who it is… This is a good idea, though.

"Winna, could you talk to the Haimings? I think they'd be a good place to start this, other than of course Balitang House," Dove requested her step-mother. "Aunt Nuritin, are you okay with this? I'll need you and the Haimings to be one of the first families to do this. It'll be hard, but I think many of our slaves would be willing to stay with us as servants, especially considering they all did so much to get me onto the throne."

"Aly, why are you smiling at that letter like it is your friend?" Nawat looked a little confused as he watched his wife re-read the letter from the Emperor.

"I'm proud of Kally. She got stuck with that court marriage that she never wanted, and it seems like she got a relatively good deal out of it. She seems to be doing very well there, from what I heard from the family when they were here for the coronation, and she's pushing Kaddar to get rid of slavery in Carthak. She's doing a damn fine job working with what she never wanted in the first place," Aly continued to smile, and tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about her childhood friend who was now the Empress of Carthak.

"Oh, Aly, don't cry!" Dove exclaimed, earning her a flap of Aly's hand.

"I think these are good tears, Dove," Winna spoke softly, smiling at Aly's care for her childhood friend.

"Well, on that note, I am going to retire for the evening. I will think over your plan, Dove. That much I can promise, at least." Nuritin rose, waving for her maid to come along as well. Dove and Winna stood to kiss their formidable family member good night while Aly composed herself.

"I will also think over this plan, to see if there are any ways that we can make it as solid as possible."

"We must also figure out a way to make it seem as if the idea for it did not come from the Emperor of Carthak, especially considering it was sent privately," Aly stated in addition to Winna's plan to think over it. "I think it's time for me to chat with this Gyasi. Before, he just seemed like a good fellow. Now, he seems like he might be a little bit more than that."

Dove looked at Aly with a slightly stricken expression. "Gyasi didn't do anything wrong, Aly, did he? He just passed a private message."

"There's no such thing as a private message when it comes to royalty, milady," Aly reminded her queen and friend.

"I suppose you are right. But don't interrogate him as if he has done something wrong, not when he hasn't."

"I won't, Dove. You know I never use force that isn't entirely necessary. Besides, I like him. I don't want to scare him off. That would add an unnecessary enemy to our already relatively long list of enemies." Aly's manner was entirely earnest. "Why so protective of him? He's a grown lad."

Dove's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "He's newly back to the Isles, and he's been treated poorly by just about every other authority figure in his life while he was here before. Isn't that enough of a reason to wish him well? Not to mention, he treats me like an actual person, not an idol or an idiot fourteen-year-old girl."

"All completely good reasons," Nawat announced. "Aly, you should be off to bed. It is late, and if you're working tomorrow, you'll need the extra rest."

"I don't suppose it would do me any good to tell you not to stay up all night thinking about this, would it?" Aly asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'll stay up as long as I wish thinking this over. What better way to use my spare time than to work on bettering my country?" Dove smiled, and hugged Aly. "I promise I'll get at least a few hours of sleep."


End file.
